Wok of Love Episode 7-8

The episode starts in the past. Chae Seol Ja (Park Ji Young) recalls working in the kitchen with Chef Wang Choon Soo. They make out. Next scene is in a movie theatre. Seol Ja and the mystery woman (Lee Mi Sook) sigh over the romantic scene in Nottingham Hill. Doo Chil Seong (Jang Hyuk), Oh Maeng Dal, and Jeon Yi Man also in the theatre watching. Chef Wang is inspired by the movie’s kissing scene and plants one on his date.

Present day…

Dan Sae Woo (Jung Ryeo Won) asks Chef Seo Poong (Lee Joon Ho) if he’s really hiring. Chil Seong’s men recall their interaction with her when she handed out wedding invitation. Chil Seong asks if she’s serious about working in his eatery. Sae Woo confirms she needs money to cover housing and living expenses. She wonders if a salary in the amount needed could be granted. Chil Seong’s men scoff. Sae Woo turns to leave then asks Seo Poong what his fortune cookie message was. He doesn’t answer. Sae Woo leaves with Chil Seong watching her go wishing he’d done more.

Chil Seong’s men complain about Seo Poong’s treatment. Chil Seong considers selling the eatery from underneath Seo Poong. Chil Seong tells his men they need to think about what they want to do with the rest of their lives. He gives each of them a punch. He runs after Sae Woo. He spies her waiting at the bus stop.

Seo Poong stares at the rejected bowls of food.

Chil Seong approaches Sae Woo but can only talk about the loan. She asks for his cell phone number. He hesitates then gives it to her. He clarifies his declaration came before she married. He won’t crush on her now that she is married. Sae Woo admits she has a crush on Leonardo DiCaprio. Chil Seong admits he admits he has a crush on Julia Roberts. She notes Julia Roberts is married. She tells Chil Seong that he doesn’t need her permission to have a crush. Chil Seong declares he’s going to crush on her. He leaves.

Seo Poong calls his estranged wife Doctor Seok Dal Hee (Cha Joo Young). She’s in the car with her lover CEO Yong Seung Ryong (Kim Sa Kwon) who puts the call on speaker phone. Seo Poong declares he will make this eatery work and the hotel will regret their treatment of him. DH tells Seo Poong she’ll be opening an office on the third floor and she’ll eat in his eatery again. She tells Seo Poong not to wait for her to change her mind. Seo Poong counters that they’ve been together since they were young. He vows to make her regret dumping him. He declares he won’t wait for her. He hangs up. CY chuckles. Seo Poong declares he’s going to make the eatery work or die trying.

Sae Woo’s horse has the surgery. She recalls telling her horse he’d live another day, so they could be together. After the surgery she texts Chil Seong that the surgery was a success. She also tells him she’s married, and he must not crush on her. Chil Seong smiles as he reads her text. Sae Woo wonders why Chil Seong doesn’t respond to her text.

One week later…

Seo Poong exits the eatery, watches the cherry blossoms fall and looks at the fortune cookie message “the one in front of you is your true love.” Seol Ja sees Seo Poong outside the eatery and asks if he’s hiring. Seo Poong inquires if she has kitchen experience. She smirks. Chil Seong’s men stare from a side window. Seol Ja tells Seo Poong she’ll demonstrate her skills. She puts on a stellar show of her knife and cutting skills. In parallel Chef Wang does the same for his adoring staff. Chil Seong’s men are impressed with the mad skills Seol Ja displays. Maeng Dal almost moons over her. Seo Poong isn’t impressed and tells her that was just the basics. Chil Seong’s men exit the eatery. Maeng Dal does moon over Seol Ja.

Chil Seong calls Sae Woo at home. Initially she hopes the call is from her wayward husband. Chil Seong tells her to come to the eatery. She refuses. He dangles the job offer. She asks if he’ll pay her the salary she needs to cover her living expenses. Chil Seong chuckles at her brazen but sweet naivete. He tells her to forget it. Sae Woo dashes out of the apartment.

Chil Seong’s men stride into the kitchen. Seo Poong orders them to leave. Maeng Dal strong arms Seo Poong. Seol Ja yells that gangster don’t impress her and they shouldn’t interrupt her interview.

Chil Seong chuckles as he sees Sae Woo hurrying towards the eatery. She looks through the windows and sees Chil Seong’s men, Seo Poong and a woman. Chil Seong startles her when he looks through the window too. Sae Woo tells him the surgery was a success, the tumor is gone, and he might live longer. Chil Seong tells her to enter the eatery in 5 minutes.

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Chil Seong enters the eatery and asks Seo Poong if he’s considering hiring. Seo Poong confirms this. Chil Seong references their contract which gives Seo Poong latitude to fire but also gives Chil Seong right of approval for hires. Chil Seong wants Seo Poong to give his men another chance. He suggests that one of his men go head to head against Seol Ja. The men push Maeng Dal forward. Seo Poong asks if Maeng Dal is confident. Seol Ja steps forward and eyes Maeng Dal.

The contest is on. Seo Poong directs them to prep for several dishes. Seol Ja and Maeng Dal dash to the refrigerator to pull the raw ingredients. Maeng Dal asks Seol Ja about one of the terms Seo Poong used. She’s surprised he doesn’t know. Maeng Dal asks Seol Ja if she’s dating anyone. She gives him a look and goes back into the kitchen.

Wok of Love Episode 8

Seol Ja’s interview proves she is superb. Seo Poong hires her. Chil Seong’s men and Chil Seong sample the food. It is divine. They wonder where Maeng Dal went. Chil Seong and his men find Maeng Dal hiding in the refrigerator. Chil Seong gives him a sample of the food. They leave him there. Seol Ja tells Seo Poong she knows someone that would be perfect for making noodles. Seo Poong encourages her to contact the person ASAP. Seol Ja calls her friend to come quickly. Chil Seong welcomes Seol Ja to the team as the cutter. Seol Ja doesn’t know who he is. Sae Woo enters and asks if they are still hiring. Seo Poong asks if she has cooking or server experience she does not. Chil Seong hires her. Seo Poong doesn’t want an inexperienced hire. Sae Woo defends herself stating she’s a quick learner. Chil Seong hires her to be the general manager. Seo Poong objects. Chil Seong is firm on his decision. They argue without consensus. Chil Seong storms out and runs into the old woman. Seo Poong starts to leave but Sae Woo stops him. Rigid with anger Seo Poong says that her hiring at a rank above him without experience because she has a relationship with the building’s owner disgusts him. He declares he doesn’t like her. Seo Poong storms out. He finds Chil Seong and the old woman. She shoves gum into Chil Seong and Seo Poong. She urges them to chew gum instead of fighting. They storm off.

Interesting the old woman knew Chil Seong’s father.

Maeng Dal refuses to leave the refrigerator saying Chil Seong ordered him to stay. Seol Ja enters and wonders if he refused to battle her so she could get the job. She offers to warm him with a kiss. Maeng Dal frozen lips pucker in agreement. She gently kisses him.

Liking Seol Ja!

The lawyer informs Seo Poong that Chil Seong has every right to hire a general manager per clause 3 of their contract.

Seo Poong storms back into the eatery. Im Geok Jung (Tae Hang Ho) arrives for the interview to make noodles. He apologizes for this limp. Seo Poong counters that he doesn’t make noodles with his feet. Seo Poong hires him and tells him to start tomorrow. Geok Jung is thrilled and grateful.

Sae Woo drinks beer alone on the bridge.

Seo Poong drinks alcohol alone in the eatery. He spies a fortune cookie. He breaks it and finds a note from Sae Woo that she won’t take the job. He recalls the numerous times she asked what his fortune was. He pulls it from his wallet. “The one in front of you know is your true love.” Seo Poong races to find her. As he runs he recalls the harsh words he said to her.

Maeng Dal and Seol Ja drive to the hotel on his motorcycle. He invites her in. The mystery woman spots them. She’s there trying to get a loan from a friend.

Seo Poong finds Sae Woo at the bridge. He admits he didn’t recognize her as the woman from the bridge (because she was wearing a fencing mask). They bicker and banter. Seo Poong admits he couldn’t get her out of his head.

Maeng Dal and Seol Ja walk towards their room. She demurs he could have taken her to his place. He admits he lives with two other guys. Seol Ja realizes he doesn’t have a house. She scolds him for not having his life together. She walks away.

Chil Seong is alone on his bed. Maeng Dal joins him. Chil Seong tells Maeng Dal to leave. Maeng Dal says he doesn’t want to be alone. Chil Seong scolds him for staying in the refrigerator and reminds him the sun comes up tomorrow regardless how bad the day was.

Seo Poong suggests they let bygones be bygones. Sae Woo asks what his fortune was. Seo Poong asks what hers was. She shares “it was look at the stars, not at your feet”. She asks what his fortune was. Seo Poong lies that he threw away the cookie without reading the fortune. She laughs and calls him a wimp. Seo Poong stares at her wondering if she is his next love.My Thoughts

The eatery’s team is being established. I really liked Seol Ja. She was confident and competent. She acted with Maeng Dal. But when she found out he wasn’t as established as she liked, she ditched him. It was probably good for Maeng Dal to get a kick in the pants about his life. Will Chil Seong’s men be rehired? Who is the mystery woman?

Chef Seo Poong (Lee Joon Ho) wasn’t happy when Sae Woo was hired without his approval. He didn’t realize that Sae Woo was the woman from the bridge until she stormed out of the eatery. Then it hit him. Then he realized his fortune cookie fortune that his true love was in front of him might be indicate Sae Woo was that woman. To his credit he ran to find her. He apologized to her. But he lied that he’d tossed his fortune cookie without reading the fortune. It would be awkward to admit that fortune to the woman that might be his next love. I enjoyed the fighting between Chil Seong and Seo Poong. I look forward to their grudging path to a good working relationship and possibly friendship.

Dan Sae Woo (Jung Ryeo Won) was hired to by the general manager of the eatery by Chil Seong. She accepted the offer. When Seo Poong let her know his thoughts on the matter, she didn’t run. Rather she made a fortune cookie for him with the message she wouldn’t take the job. That sparked Seo Poong to realize she was the woman from the bridge. He found her and tried to make amends. Is Sae Woo’s heart ready for another? Does she need to end things with her current husband before she can emotionally move on?

Doo Chil Seong (Jang Hyuk) used the contract to force Seo Poong to accept his hiring choices. The lawyer explained the contract gave Chil Seong the right to hire. Seo Poong fumed. The chemistry between these leads is decent. I look forward to it developing. It was cute that Chil Seong couldn’t help himself from offering Sae Woo the job. His crush is apparent but is Seo Poong the next right man for Sae Woo? I like Chil Seong’s caring for his men. Though I wouldn’t want to spoon with Maeng Dal if I were Chil Seong.

I rank these episodes (on a scale from 1-10) as very good. My episode ranking chart is below.

15 comments on “Wok of Love Episode 7-8”

I am amazed at how young Park Ji Young (Seol Ja) looks, especially in the flashback 📸. Interesting how Chef Wang is in her background; I wonder WHO taught WHO the knife 🔪 skills❓⁉️. Does Seol Ja 🔪 have a grudge against Chef Wang❓⁉️ Drinking oil🛢️❓⁉️ BLEECH 🤢❗ Did the rolling number refer to an age rating for watching (i.e.: 19 = R)❓⁉️

Color 🖍️ me 🎊surprised🎉 Seol Ja 🔪was so quick to hookup with Maeng Dal 🏍️. I wondered if the fact that she dumped him when she found out he didn’t have a house 🏠 meant she is a goldigger 🤑 … then it dawned on me that being middle aged myself, would not be interested in someone who is NOT financially stable. When I was in my 20s and early 30s I would have settled for someone with “potential”, but as I get older I am less interested in supporting someone from scratch to reach their potential, but would rather support someone who is financially stable and has made significant progress towards reaching their potential.

I understand Seo Poong’s 👨‍🍳 anger at Chil Seong 🕶️ hiring Sae Woo 🤺, who has no experience, or anyone for HIS business, which HE is financially responsible for. I chuckled when the Gum Peddlar 🍬 tried tried to help the men reconcile their differences over gum. I also found it interesting that the Gum Peddlar 🍬 knew Chil Seong’s dad … I smell a backstory.

Seo Poong 👨‍🍳 was quite harsh in the words he said to Sae Woo 🤺. I ❤️ that Sae Woo used her ingenuity (and baking skills) to apologize using the fortune cookie. I’m glad Seo Poong 👨‍🍳 finally figured out Sae Woo 🤺 was the person in front of him, his true love 💕 according to the fortune cookie.

Seo Poong 👨‍🍳 just got a little closer to being open to a new relationship. Seo Poong 👨‍🍳, Dal Hee 🐡 NEVER attempted to make your marriage work; get over that cheater 🐡❗ Now what will it take IN ADDITION to abandonment for Sae Woo 🤺 to ditch her dirtbag husband❓⁉️ I’m ready for the love ❤️🔺 triangle to begin … but are they❓⁉️. I’m hoping for a bromance 💙, but the love ❤️🔺 triangle may preclude it. I’m starting to 💕 Wok of Love.

I understand Seo Poong’s 👨‍🍳 anger at Chil Seong 🕶 hiring Sae Woo 🤺, who has no experience, or anyone for HIS business, which HE is financially responsible for.
Good point. That contract did him no favors.

I ❤ that Sae Woo used her ingenuity (and baking skills) to apologize using the fortune cookie. I’m glad Seo Poong 👨‍🍳 finally figured out Sae Woo 🤺 was the person in front of him, his true love 💕 according to the fortune cookie.
The fortune cookie was a lovely touch. I too am glad Seo Poong realized who Sae Woo was. Is she his true love? Is Chil Seong in the running?

I’m hoping for a bromance 💙, but the love ❤🔺 triangle may preclude it.
Getting over marriages may take time for Seo Poong and Sae Woo (who hasn’t realized she needs to dump her husband). The bromance may come first which would make any triangle more interesting.

Greasy Melo just isn’t hitting the right beats for me. The only thing I enjoy is Thug Ahjusshi and his thug “chefs”.
I like but don’t love this series right now. I want Chil Seong to be more impactful. Yes they’ve shown Jang Hyuk’s awesome physical fitness but his character is guarded and doesn’t draw me in. I want more for this character. Jang Hyuk is why I’m watching this series. Sometimes he feels more like a third wheel than the third leg of the lead triangle.

I concur that I want Chil Seong 🕶️ to be more impactful too. I’m 🎊surprised🎉 that at this point in time I find Seo Poong 👨‍🍳 to be the more compelling character of the male leads.

I fell for Lee Joon Ho (Seo Poong 👨‍🍳) in “Just Between Lovers” and I like him evenire in this drama. I didn’t care for Jung Ryeo Won (Sae Woo 🤺) in “Witch’s Court”, but I ❤️ her in this❗ I am enjoying the side characters and look forward to the story moving forward.

I think they lost me when the cartoon horse went for a stroll by himself. I’m not opposed to animation but it went on at least 30 seconds too long (or too soon for me to want to see the horse strolling in 1960-isk fabulousness).

The show felt too disjointed for me with characters that don’t gel together (yet). Now I understand why many shows start with an episode with all the cast established together and then backflash to who those people are and how they came to be together.

Speaking of the fast almost-one-night-stand – where have all the censors gone? I’m noticing more and more riske business going on with shows across the board. Has anyone else picked up on this?

Yeah, I noticed that sometime last year that dramas in general have some of the squeak in their clean ✨. I’ve wondered if their standards for censorship have lowered since 2 years ago when adultery was dropped from being a criminal charge. It is a little disappointing as the squeaky ✨ clean has been part of my draw to Kdrama.

@JT – I know, right? Sure, sometimes we all go “that was such a lame, dry kiss”, but at the same time, I respect the actors, especially the ones who are married.

I know Hollywood actors are always saying “It’s just acting” but there are too many times when you hear 6 months later, they’ve left their spouse for their co-star and they try to play it off like “Oh. We werenxt involved during that movie but we happened to run into each other at the drug store [friends party, etc.] and my marriage was already breaking up by then. *yup – uh-huh – surrrre*

I’m not a prude, I just got tired of seeing it all, whether almost graphic sex scenes or another car chase. It all sends me straight to sleep as soon as it starts. Kdrama was refreshing and new for me but lately I’ve been getting bored with it too. But that could also be because all my biases are doing military service or not starring in anything right now.

@JT – and THAT’s why I boycott Kocowa (plus the $20/month). I feel like Viki & DramaFever paved the way and Kowf*ck went “Oh! There’s a market for Korean shows in the west? let’s go cut out the middle-“little” guy). Not that DF is little and Viki is definitely not little, but compared to Kow, they are.

But here’s what DF did to me after me being loyal to them when I could’ve jumped ship a long time ago: I had a fraud issue with my credit card so received a new card,new number. After a while, DF sent me an email that they couldn’t bill my card. I immediately (as soon as I saw the email) went on their site and updated the card #. After doing so, I realized that I did not see my plan level listed so I emailed DF and asked would I be charged the higher rate since my price level didn’t appear on my account page. They said “No. We see that you updated your card number and you will continue to receive the rate you had. Only new members are subject to the new rates.” Great.

A few days later, I get another automated email that they can’t bill my card. I’m thinking “Did I typo the number or something? But that can’t be it because the email response I got from (a real person) at DF said they could see in the system that my card had updated.” So I email DF and they (a real person) again) responded that there was a system glitch the day after I updated my card so I was boo-boo out of luck. I explained my past loyalty over the years, blah blah blah, but was told basically “them the breaks”.